Though lovers be lost love shall not
by silverbirch
Summary: A challenge set by ChoCedric, to write a fic in which we see Cho Chang's reaction on the day of the Third Task in GoF.
1. Chapter 1

The title is a line taken from Dylan Thomas's poem "And Death Shall Have No Dominion". I own none of the characters, of course.

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24th JUNE 1995. HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

05:30 BST HUFFLEPUFF CELLAR – 6TH YEAR BOYS DORM

"_And in fourth place, having failed to complete the task…Cedric Diggory." All around him people were turning their backs and throwing their "Suppport Cedric Diggory" badges to the floor in disgust. On the podium, he could see Potter raising the bag containing 1,000 Galleons above his head. Harry looked over to Cedric and gave a sympathetic smile that looked remarkably like a smirk._

_A girl's voice behind him. 'Harry asked me to go to the Yule Ball with him, you know, but I'd already agreed to go with __**him**__. Oh well, win some lose some.'_

'_Cho?'_

_She turned to look at him, and shrugged. 'It isn't the winning; it's the taking part that counts – apparently. See you around, Ced.'_

_His parents walked past, ignoring him. 'Well, that was a waste of a day' he heard his father say._

He sat up, eyes staring and breath coming in ragged gasps. The dream – nightmare – had come back.

Pale dawn was filtering through the ceiling lights as he brought himself under control and he looked around the room he had grown up in. He had grown and matured; his chin had stiffened and his chest expanded. He stood on the threshold of adulthood and would walk into it with his head held high.

He was already a prefect and Quidditch Captain. Next year, perhaps, he would be Head Boy. By tomorrow he could be the Tri-Wizard Champion. It was an excellent start to his CV.

In a year's time, he would leave this room and join the Ministry, as his father had done before him. There he would consolidate the successes he'd achieved at Hogwarts. Perhaps…

Behind the rugged good looks and boyishly ruffled hair, behind the body honed by Quidditch, there was another Cedric Diggory. This was the Cedric Diggory who had first slept in this room as a small, lonely, quiet boy. A boy who had stepped onto a train with his father's words ringing in his ears. 'Make me proud, son. Make me proud.'

He fell back on the pillow. If he was lucky, he could get another two hours sleep. Two hours of hopefully dreamless sleep.

07:00 RAVENCLAW TOWER – 5TH YEAR GIRLS DORM

Cho awoke slowly and savoured the comfort of her bed, her eyes still closed. Her OWL exams had finished yesterday and she thought she had done well enough; as a Ravenclaw she had not expected to find them particularly challenging, and so it had proven. She was confident that there would be at least six at "O" and the rest at "E"; plenty enough to take the NEWTS she needed.

It was over for the year and she could relax, except…

Cedric! She shot up in bed, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Today was the day; the final challenge. Today was the day when her boyfriend would become the Tri-Wizard Champion, she had no doubt about that.

He was tied in first place with Harry Potter, but she wasn't worried. Harry was quite sweet, and a good Quidditch player, but only a boy. Ced had two years more training in magic; he knew the spells that would be needed to get through the maze, Harry didn't.

Krum could be a threat, but he seemed a bit one dimensional. His approach so far had been very direct, lacking in subtlety, and Cho thought it would be needed today. It would take brain as well as brawn to succeed.

As for the girl, Fleur, well…she looked to be a choker if ever there was one. Cho was surprised she was still allowed to compete. Let's be honest, she hadn't actually completed the second task.

No, Ced – her Ced – was the clear favourite, and tonight she would sit by his side at the Feast, bathing in his glory. Who knows, perhaps some of that first prize might find its way into a present for her.

She must be up and ready to meet him when he arrived for breakfast. He must look upon her as the real prize today.

08:00 THE GREAT HALL

The Hall was never silent at meal times. Always, always there was a background hum that grew as time progressed. Today the noise was there, but different. It was struck through with tension and excitement; similar to that before a Quidditch match, but different. Today, it was not one House against another, but one School – their School – against the rest.

Cedric walked through the doors and a cheer went up. He was the one, he was their champion. Yes, so was Potter, but have you read the papers today? He's mad, they say, and Dumbledore might withdraw him. Back Diggory, he's the one for us.

Cho stood and walked towards him, the eyes of every girl in the room on her. She smiled at him. 'Hi!'

'Hello. You're up early.'

'I wanted to be here for you. Can I have breakfast with you?'

Ced looked around the room; people didn't normally swap tables, no matter what. 'Yeah, I'd like that, might help settle my nerves.'

She smiled and took his arm, laying claim to her territory for all to see. 'What nerves? This is your day, Ced.'

They went to the Hufflepuff table and people made room for them. Diggory was probably in the only House that would allow such a blatant invasion of their space. People even smiled at her and said Good Morning.

Cho took immediate charge, asking what he wanted to eat and drink, getting it for him and encouraging him to eat just a little more to build up his strength for the task ahead. Her job, as she saw it, was to make today as smooth as possible for him. He needed every advantage she could give him.

They saw Professor Sprout bustling towards them, and she gave Cho a quick smile. 'Cedric, you are to go to the Chamber off the hall once you've eaten. Your parents are here.'

'My parents? Is…my…dad…here?'

'Of course! They've been invited to watch the task this evening, and you can spend the day with them! Off you go!' She bustled away as Ced turned to Cho.

'I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting this; I thought we could spend some time together.'

'It's OK. They are your parents.' She hesitated for a moment. 'I've never met them, have I?' She looked at him hopefully.

He thought long and hard. His parents – his dad. It had to happen sooner or later. 'OK, wait outside the main doors for me.' He gave her a peck her cheek, causing some first year boys to blush, and some third year girls to swoon, and was gone.

He poked his head out of the door a few moments later, but it was only to shout something to Harry.

09.30 HOGWARTS GROUNDS

'So you're the lucky girl who's captured our Ced's heart, are you? He's always had an eye for the ladies, just like his dad! I suppose you had to beat off all the competitors?'

Cho had only known Amos Diggory for a few moments, but had already classified him as a bampot, but he was Ced's dad so she would do her best to get along with him. She gave him a rather watery smile.

'It wasn't like that at all, dad. I asked her to the Yule Ball, and she kindly agreed to go with me. We've just taken it from there.'

They walked on for a while with Amos pointing out various features in the grounds; most of which had some kind of romantic association for him. He appeared to have dated twice the number of girls who were actually at the school at the time. Eventually, both Cho and Cedric stopped listening. They were brought back to the present when Amos abruptly changed subject. 'You're Chinese, are you?'

'So people keep telling me.'

'You don't sound it.'

'I was born in Falkirk, so was my mum. Dad comes from Hong Kong.'

'Ah, you're frae Bonnie Scotland then?' asked Amos, in a ridiculous accent.

'Och aye the noo, ye ken.' Cho upgraded him from bampot to gomeril.

'Do you have sweet and sour haggis on Burn's Night?' He laughed at his own joke; nobody else did.

She had to get away before she said something she regretted; she didn't want them thinking she was a Bessie.

'Ced, I want to see Professor Flitwick about my NEWT options; I'll see you at lunch, yeah?'

Ced gave her an apologetic look and she turned and walked back up to the school building. She'd really wanted to spend some time with him today, helping him get ready for the task, to focus on what lay ahead of him. It was what she did before a game of Quidditch; some of her friends called it "getting in the zone", but how could she do that with the ramgunshoch havering away at her?

12:30 THE GREAT HALL 

Lunch was more a buffet than a sit-down meal, as end of year exams were still going on all over the castle. Cho was waiting for Cedric when he eventually trailed in behind his parents, looking bored. His father was still blethering on about…something.

'Come on Ced, lets get you something to eat' said Cho, with a sympathetic smile on her face. 'I've been doing some reading in the library; you want complex carbohydrates and plenty to drink, but not too much protein.'

He smiled at her. 'What does that mean in English?' He glanced over to make sure his dad wasn't listening. 'Or even in Jock-ish, hoots mon. Sorry about him, he doesn't mean any harm.'

'It's OK; I've got an aunt who gets drunk at parties and tries to do a fan dance. Her kids have stopped turning up. You want lots of brown bread, not much meat, some fruit and plenty of water. I'll help you choose.'

They crossed to the table, Ced looking longingly at the pies and pasties laid out. He helped himself to some salad and rolls. 'What should I do this afternoon?'

'I think we should go to the library, maybe run through a few spells, and then you should try to have a sleep for an hour or so before the feast tonight. Unless you've got other plans?'

'No. I don't fancy trailing round the grounds again. I'll tell them to occupy themselves. You don't want to be with your friends, or anything?'

'No. I want you to be the champion. We can hang around with our friends all summer once this is over.'


	2. Chapter 2

15:30 THE LIBRARY

Cho made a tick on her parchment. 'That's it, all done. _Impedimenta_ was the last one I wanted to run through.'

Cedric leaned back in his chair and took her hand in his. 'How long have you been planning all this?'

'A couple of days. I was thinking about what you might have to face in there, and worked out a few spells to help you. I reckoned there wouldn't be anything dangerous…'

'People have died, you know.'

'…but that was years ago, Ced, they won't let anything like that happen. I think it will just be things to slow you down.' She saw the concern on his face. 'Come on! You'll be fine.'

'I'm scared.'

'Ced, don't be scared. You've nothing to fear.'

'Only failure. What if I get it wrong, and fail?' He looked away from her and said, in almost a whisper 'What would you think then?'

Only she knew this side of him; the private face of the boy she loved. That's why she loved him with such a passion. Oh, she wasn't getting carried away and starting to plan the wedding; they were both far too young for that. She had two more years at school, and then they would both be out in the world, doing different things…meeting different people and who knew what would happen.

Until that day, though, he was hers and she loved him. Yes, he was handsome – gorgeous actually – but much more than that. He was everything a Hufflepuff should be; honest and loyal and true. He wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn't afraid to reveal his true feeling to her. He didn't feel the need to strut or boast nor do all the other things boys felt they needed to do.

She loved his kind, sensitive nature and quiet humour. She loved the way he listened to her and treated her as his equal.

'I'd still think the world of you.' His eyes looked into hers, desperately wanting to believe. 'Ced, I don't love you because you're a Champion. I love you. Today makes no difference to that; you'll give it your best shot, like you do everything else. You don't honestly know how wonderful you are, do you?'

He shrugged his shoulders, looking so small and young. 'I just…I don't know if I'll ever be good enough…not for…'

He didn't have to finish. 'You'll be far greater. Now, come on, you need to get some sleep.' She checked the clock. 'You can have a couple of hours, and then I'll see you at the feast.'

They stood, and he took her hands in his. 'I'll never forget what you've done for me today.' He leant down and gave her the gentlest of kisses, and she watched him until he was out of sight.

Cho started putting away the books they'd used. There was just one more thing to do for him, then he'd be on his own.

18:00 THE GREAT HALL

Once again the tension in the Hall was almost palpable. Cho waited outside the doors for Cedric to arrive.

'Did you manage to sleep?'

'Yeah, I was out like a light, actually. Didn't even have the…let's eat.'

'Didn't have the what?'

'Nothing. So, coach, what have you got planned for me?'

As they walked towards the Hufflepuff table the smell of gravy assaulted his nostrils. Thought of braised steaks and stew began to fill his mind.

'Well' said Cho, crushing all his ideas 'you can have some mashed potatoes and maybe just a little chicken.' She saw his face fall, like a little child, and had to laugh. 'I'll let you have some pudding though. Treacle tart and custard, but not too much. I'll make sure there's some food around when you get back.'

He looked at her, and his eyes became very soft all of a sudden. 'I love you.'

'Get on with you! I bet you say that to anyone who feeds you.'

They sat at the Hufflepuff table again, and people automatically made room for them, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Cho saw his parents heading towards them and grimaced inwardly, but still waved to them.

'Hello, love' said Amos. 'Still looking after our Ced, are you?'

'Trying to.'

'Make sure you have a good feed up, son. You don't want to go out there hungry. Have some steak.'

'Digestion diverts blood from the brain' said Cho, rather more sharply than she planned. 'He needs something light that gives energy. I've been reading up on it.'

Cedric's mother - Cho suddenly realised she didn't know her name - spoke for the first time. 'You listen to her, Ced. It's nice to hear somebody who knows what they're talking about, for a change.' She flashed a look at her husband.

Amos tutted, muttering something about women taking over the world and in his day they ate what they wanted. Cho smiled to herself, and put some mash on Ced's plate. His mother noticed, of course.

Dinner became a rather subtle game after that. Whenever Amos started speaking his wife would cut across him and Cho would start talking to Cedric, keeping him focused on the task but turning any concerns into positives. When he wondered if he had enough spells, she told him to keep it simple. Four or five he knew well were better than twenty he could get confused over, she pointed out.

Shortly before 7 o'clock, Dumbledore stood up. 'Ladies and Gentlemen,' the Hall became immediately quiet, and Ced took Cho's hand in his, 'in five minutes time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch pitch for the third and last task in the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr Bagman to the stadium now.'

Cedric turned to her and tried to smile. 'I…Cho…'

'Go on, champ. Good luck. I'll see you later.'

He stood and walked away, then turned back and kissed her. 'I love you.' Then he walked out of the Hall.

She turned back to the table so that he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Cedric's mother offered her a handkerchief and said 'He'll be fine, love. He's got you to come back to'. Amos was silent.

19.15 THE QUIDDITCH STADIUM

Cho made her way to the stadium with her best friend, Marietta Edgecombe. She was rather surprised to be hailed by Amos Diggory.

'Well, love, almost time to start eh? I did ask if you could sit in the VIP stand with us, but they wouldn't let you I'm afraid.' Cho made an "Oh, what bad luck" sort of shrug. 'Anyway' Amos continued, 'we'll see you later.' He paused, and looked like he wanted to say something else. 'I just want you to know that…well, thank you for helping our Ced today. We appreciate it.'

She shrugged again. 'I hope it helps. I was glad to do it.'

Amos smiled at her, and his wife waved as they moved off.

'They seem nice' said Marietta.

'Maybe they'll grow on me' said Cho.

'What, like verrucas?' Both girls broke out into a fit of giggles and walked into the stands arm-in-arm.

As a spectacle, the third task was similar to the second, in that there was nothing much to see. In front of them, where the Quidditch pitch used to be was a hedge some twenty foot high. They could see the Champions, and some of the teachers, standing around by what looked like the only entrance and being spoken to by Ludo Bagman.

Eventually, he turned and spoke to the crowd, introducing the Champions and giving their current positions. 'Tied in first place, on eighty-five points each – Mr Cedric Diggory and Mr Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!'

Everyone started cheering and clapping; Cho was on her feet. She could see Cedric panning the stands. She waved even harder, and saw him smile at her. She gave him a thumbs up and he waved. Then there was a whistle blast – and he was gone.

19.30 THE QUIDDITCH STADIUM

Cho sat silently chewing on her nail as he minutes ticked by.

'They should have put up big screens so we could see what's going on' she said, and instantly regretted it as she would probably have to spend the next five minutes trying to explain television and video to Marietta. Fortunately, she was saved an in-depth discussion when they saw a stream of red sparks soaring up into the sky, and Victor Krum being carried away from the maze.

'That's one down' said Marietta.

'I hope he's alright' said Cho, 'I don't want any of them hurt.'

To one side of the maze they could see a gaggle of teachers rush through the hedge and moments later they came out with Fleur Delacourt. That sent a buzz of excitement through the crowd as nobody had seen any distress signal. She appeared unhurt though, and was soon on her feet. The Hogwarts students were all clapping and shouting; only their Champions were left in the hunt; their School would win the Triwizard Tournament come what may.

There was still nothing much to see apart from an occasional flash from somewhere within the maze, so they didn't know who was making them or how the two boys were getting on.

Cho was now bouncing up and down on her seat, sometimes clapping; sometimes putter her hands over her face. All the while, she was keeping up a steady, quite chant as if it were a mantra – 'Come on, Ced, come on. You can do it.'

She saw a sudden blue glow right in the middle of the maze, but after that everything was dark.

20:00 THE QUIDDITCH STADIUM

A blue glow and a rippling in the air; then two figures crashed to the ground and lay still. Everybody stood up and cheered; it was over, they had a winner! Then there was silence as people realised it was **two** figures. What had happened?

Cho looked at Marietta, with a confused look on her face. Who had won? Why had they both come back with the cup?

She could see people – Dumbledore and the Minister bloke – moving forward. She wanted to be there as well, to see Ced and make sure he was alright. She wanted to hug him and congratulate him even though she wasn't sure if he was the Champion or not. It didn't matter; he was back.

She started making her way down the stands, impeded by people who were standing in the stairways.

'Excuse me! Can I just…Sorry!' Eventually she gave up and just started pushing her way through. Over their heads she could see that Ced and Harry were still laying on the ground. Why weren't they getting up?

Then she heard a sound passing through the crowd. At first it was a whisper, like wind passing through a field of corn. It grew in volume and began to change and take on a life of its own. Finally, it became a scream.

'He's dead! Cedric Diggory's dead!'

Cho shook her head; they'd all gone mad. She started pushing past more and more people, who all seemed to be going in the opposite direction now. She gave up on the stairs and made her way into a row, climbing from rank to rank of the now rapidly emptying stands; making her way lower and lower.

Finally reaching the lowest level she broke into a run, heading for the group still clustered around the one prone figure. She hardly noticed as Moody and Harry went past her.

'Ced! Ced!'

She was stopped as a large woman stepped in front of her and wrapped her in her arms. It was Professor Sprout.

'You must leave Miss Chang. All students are to return to their Houses.'

'I want to see Ced. What's happened?'

'You must go back to your House.'

'Is he hurt? Please tell me what's happened.'

Sprout began trying to move Cho away from the stadium. In desperation and panic Cho aimed a kick at her shins and broke free. She could see Cedric now, surrounded by a group of teachers. He didn't seem hurt; there was no blood she could see. He looked as if he were sleeping. That's it! He's been knocked out! Hope surged through her breast. He was going to be alright, he was just knocked out! He'll be fine.

Madam Hooch caught her arm as she ran, and span her round. Then Sprout caught up with them and the two Professors took her into a hug. They weren't angry with her. Why weren't they angry?

'Child, please child, come away. Everything will be alright. Come away.'

'What's happened? Is he alright? Please, tell me!'

'Hush child, come with us. Oh, you poor girl. Don't look back, come with us.'

'No! Please!'

21:00 RAVENCLAW TOWER COMMON ROOM

Cho sat on a sofa, Marietta on one side and Madam Hooch on the other, Professor Flitwick stood in front of them. All the other students had been sent to their rooms.

'Miss Chang I am so, so sorry' said Flitwick.

Cho shook her head but didn't speak. She kept wondering what these noise were she kept hearing. She thought she had heard similar noises in the past, and that they should mean something, but she didn't know what. There were people there too. They looked familiar; she had seen them before, but she didn't know where.

They were holding her, and that felt comforting but they weren't the right people. There should be a boy, she thought. A boy who had held her, and he'd made noises too, but she could understand him. Where was he? If he was here it would make sense. What was his name? She had to remember.

'Where's Ced?'

Beside her, she could hear the younger person make a strange sound. It didn't make any sense but it made her feel sad, as if the girl were unhappy. Why was she unhappy? Cho was convinced they should be happy now, not sad. There was a reason they should be happy. What was it? It had something to do with Ced.

He was the boy. Yes, that's right. Ced was the was the boy whom she wanted to hold her. She looked around the room, but couldn't see him.

'Where's Ced?'

The older woman took Cho's face in her hands, so that Cho had to look at her. This woman, where had she seen her? Quidditch? That's right. Ced. Quidditch. She must know where he was.

'Where's Ced?'

'Oh, child. Cederic…Ced, he died tonight during the task. I'm so sorry.' Cho could see the woman had tears in her eyes, and it made Cho feel sad.

'Dead? What…?' She'd heard that word before. An old man – her grandfather. Her mum had told her one day that granddad was…dead. Her mother had had tears in her eyes too. They'd put granddad in a box and into the ground and never seen him again. Is that was "dead" meant?

'Dead?' Ced was going to be put in a box, and she'd never see him again? No, that didn't seem right. It made her feel so sad and her eyes felt as if they were swelling. She tried to stop water coming out of them but couldn't, and as it ran down her face everything suddenly came back to her.

Cedric was her boyfriend and he was dead. She'd seen him laying on the floor and not moving. He'd died in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament and she would never see him again. She would never hold him, or kiss him again, and he would never speak to her. Ever again.

A howl broke from the throat and she felt two bodies holding her tightly.

22:00 RAVENCLAW TOWER – 5TH YEAR GIRLS DORM

She lay in her bed. Marietta and Madam Hooch were sat either side. Marietta was holding her hand.

Cho lay staring at the ceiling, not thinking anything at all. All she could see in front of her was a face. A young man with boyishly ruffled hair and a body honed by Quidditch. A young man called Cederic who was kind and sensitive and made her laugh. She felt now as if she would never laugh again.

The door to the dormitory opened quietly, and Professor Sprout came in, carrying a beaker full of some purple liquid, and crossed to the bed.

'Cho, I want you to drink this.'

'What is it?'

'It's a potion for dreamless sleep.'

Even as her head was supported, and she felt the liquid slip down her throat, she knew it was wrong and she shouldn't be drinking it but it was too late.

She wanted to dream; all she had now were her dreams.

Fin


End file.
